Collapsible umbrella



April 9, 1929. F. BURRIS 1,708,214

COLLAPS I BLE UMBRELLA Filed April 12, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet l April 9,1929. F. BURRIS 1,708,214

COLLAPSIBLE UMBRELLA Filed April 12, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 #5 AZ z 3 mK127 I; (a 30/? m *7 Patented Apr. 9, 1929.

UNITED STATES FLAVERS BURRIS, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

COLLAPSIBLE UMBRELLA.

Application filed April 12,

This invention relates to collapsible umbrellas, and the general objectof the invention is to provide an umbrella which can be collapsed intovery small proportions so that it may be rendered portable and carriedin a small bundle, and in which the umbrella may be opened by simplypulling up upon a handle cction, the closing of the umbrella being accomplished by pushing inward upon the handle section.

A further object is to provide means for locking the sections of thehandle or staff of the umbrella in shifted positions.

Other objects will appear in the course of r the following description.

My invention is illustrat d in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure1 is an elevation of an umbrella frame and its cover opened, onlytwo ofthe ribs being shown to avoid confusion;

Figure 2 is a detail sectional view through the stafi of the umbrella,the ribs being shown fragmentarily and the umbrella being shown as open;r

Figure 3 is a like viewto Figure 2 but showing the ribs and the staffclosed;

Figure 4 is a section on the line 44 of Figure 3; v

Figure 5 is a section on the line 5-5 of Figure 2 looking in thedirection of the arrows;

Figure 6 is a side elevation of the cage;

Figure 7 is an under side plan View thereof;

Figure 8 is a section of the disk which is connected to the ribs;

Figure 9 is an elevation thereof.

Referring to the drawings, 10 designates an end plate circular in formand to which the cage 11 is fastened by means of the screws 12. Thiscage is formed with a plurality of downwardly and inwardly extendingribs 13 and 1 1, between which the ribs of the umbrella are pivotallyconnected. Rotatably mounted in a central opening 15 of the cage and acentral opening of the plate 10 is a staff section 16 which is formedwith a spiral groove 17 extending nearly its entire length. The end ofthe sect-ion 16 adjacent the plate 10 and disposed within the cage 11carries a spool 18 rotating with'the section 16. Each rib of theumbrella is formed of three sections 19, and 21. The section 19 ishollow for its entire length and the section 20 has sliding engagementwithin the section 19, while the section 21 slides or telescopes withinthe' section 20.

-- The section: 20 at its inner end bears against 1928. Serial No.269,549.

a coiled compression spring 22 disposed at the base of the rib andacting to urge the section 20 outward, while the section 21 bears at itsinner end against a coiled compression spring 23 which acts to urge thissection outward. A cord 24 is attached to an eye 25 at the inner end ofeach section 21 and passes through the springs 23 and 22 and then passesonto the spool or roller 18.

I have illustrated an umbrella with six ribs and hence there will be sixcords extending to this spool 18. lVhen the spool 18 is rotated in onedirection, it will wind up these cords and retract the sections 20 and21 into place within the section 19 of the rib against the action of thesprings 23 and 22 respectivelv, and vice versa when the cord 24' isreleased by reverse rotation of the spool 18, the springs and 23 willact to force out the sections 20 and 21 respectively to their fulllengths.

The sections 19 of the ribs are pivoted between the members 13 and 14 bymeans of pivot pins 26, and it will be noted that the upper end or innerend of each section 19 is inwardly extended, as at 2T. Surrounding thesection 16 and sl'idable thereon is an annulus 28 having upwardlyextending arms 29.

- Each of these arms at its upper end is pivoted at 30 to acorresponding projecting portion 27 of the corresponding rib 19. Theseportions 27 act as hell crank levers and when the annulus 28 is pullerdownward the rib sections 19 will be raised and when the annulus 28 ispushed upward the rib sections will be lowered.

A spring 31 which is disposed between the annulus 28 and the bottom olthe cage 11 acts to urge the annulus 28 downwardf Pins attached to thebottom of the cage 11 and extending down through openings in the annulusconstitute guides therefor and also the heads oi these pins constitutelimiting stops preventing the spring from forcing the annuius 28 downbeyond the head of the pin, that is, beyond a position where the ribsare extended outward andsiightly down- ;ward.

Surrounding the stalf section 16 is a second section 33 in the form of asleeve which at its upper or inner end is provided with an inwardlyprojecting portion 34 engaging in the groove 17. Thus when this sleeveis pulled downward, it will cause a rotation of the section 16 in adirection to unwind or slacken the cords 24, and when the sleeve section33 is forced in a reverse direction it will cause and preventing itsdepression.

This cap 36 is attached to an outer sleeve or staff section 39 whichslides upon the section 33 and constitutes a handle and this section 39of its inner end is formed with a pivoted latch 40 angularly bent atoneend to provide a tooth 41. The outer end of the'sleeve 33 is formed withan aperture 42 with which the tooth 41 is adapted to engage and thushold the section 39 or handle section in an extended position. Prefrablythe head of the latch 37- is covered by means of a cupsha'ped shield 43of thin metal fitting over the head 36.

It will be seen that with this construction if it be desired to open theumbrella, the shield 43 is removed and the latch depressed against theaction ofthe spring 33. This releases the engagement of the head 36 withthe spirally grooved section 16 and then the head 36 is drawn outwardand this will draw outward on the two sections 39 and 33. The drawingoutward of the section 33 acts to rotate the central shaft section 16 togradually unwind the cords 24 and, as the sections 33 and 39 are shiftedaway from'the annulus 28, the annulus moves downward under the action ofthe spring 31 so that the ribs not only areelongated but aresimultaneously elevated. l/Vhen the sleeve 33 has been drawn downward toits full extent, the latch 40 is released manually and that permits thehandle sec tion or sleeve 39 to be drawn still further outward upon thesection 33 until the latch 40 engages in the aperture 42. At this timethe part 34 has moved to its full extent along the groove 17 and intothe bayonet slot 17 which forms the lower end of this groove and thepart 34 latches in this bayonet. slot. This upwardly extending terminal,therefore, acts I to lock the section 33 at the lower end of the section16.

' It will be noted also that the sections33 and 39 are providedwithfcoacting splines and grooves, the splines being designated 44, sothat the two sections 39 and 33 cannot turn with relation to each other.The cover of the umbrella is designated 45 and the upper edge ofthis'cover is disposed against the under face'of the plate 10 and isheld in place by the margin of the cage 11. This cover has loops atintervals attaching it to certain inwardly extending lugs 46 and 47.

These lugs are on the inner faces of the ribs, and the loops are alsoattached to an eye 48 at the outer end of the permanent rib section 21,thus permitting the cover to fold as the sections are restricted andunfold and open out as the sections are projected.

It will be seen from Figure 6 that the radial ribs 13 are L-shaped butthe ribs 14 do not extend inward but merely extend downward, thusallowing space for the arms 29 of the sliding annulus 28.

The operation of this devicewill be obvious from what has gone before.Normally the umbrella is closed with the cover collapsed. hen it isdesired to use the umbrella, the pivoted latch 37 is operated, whichreleases the sleeve 33 and the sleeve 39. These sleeves are then drawnout-ward together, causing the rotation of the shaft 16 and theunwinding of the cords 24. Simultaneously with this the annulus 28 isforced downward by the spring 31 which acts to forcethe ribs outward andat the same time the rib sections are elongated by means of the springs22 and When the latch 40is released, the handle sections 33 and 39causes the inward movement of the annulus 28'against the action ofspring 31 which draws the ribs centrally inward.

Iclaim:' v

1. foldable umbrella of the character described comprising. a head,extensible ribs pivotally engaged with the head, a plurality of staffsections having telescopic engagement with each other, andmeans wherebyupon the extension of said staff sections longitudinally with relationto each other the ribs will be raised and simultaneously longitudinallyextended and upon the shifting of the staff sections one within theother the ribs will be retracted.

'2. In a collapsible umbrella, a head member having ribs pivotedthereto, the ribs being extensible, a cover attached to said ribs, alongitudinally extensible handle formed in telescopic sections, andmeans acting asthe handle is extended to lift the ribs and cause thelongitudinal extension of the same and as the sections of the handle aretelescoped into each other acting to turn the ribs into approximatelyparallel relation to the ham dle and retract the rib sections.

3. A collapsible umbrella of the character described comprising a head,ribs pivotally mountedup on the head, theribs being formed 111 aplurahty of telescop c'sections, springs urging the sections of the ribsoutward, a

rotatable shaft mounted in the head and having a spool, cords extendingfrom the outermost rib section through said springs and to said spool, arotation of the spool in one direction causing the rib sections to bedrawn into each other and a rotation of the spool in the other directionpermitting the springs to force them outward, the central shaft sectionbeing formed with a spiral groove, a sleeve section normally surroundingthe shaft section and having a lug at its inner end engaging in saidgroove whereby to cause a rotation of the shaft section as the sleevesection is pulled outward or pushed inward, and means acting as thesleeve section is pulled outward to cause the rotation of the ribs intoa position approximately at right angles to the shaft section and actingwhen the sleeve sections telescope onto the shaft section to cause theretraction of the ribs to a position parallel to the shaft section.

4. A collapsible umbrella of the character described comprising a head,a plurality of ribs disposed radially in said head, each of said ribsbeing composed of three telescopic sections, a central shaft sectionmounted in said head and provided with a spool, cords extending from theinner end of the outermost section of each rib and extending to saidspool and adapted to be wound thereon, springs urging the rib sectionsoutward with relation to each other, the innermost rib section at itsinner end being formed with an angular portion, an annular membersurrounding the central shaft and having upwardly extendin armspivotally engaged with the angular portions of the rib sections, aspring urging the annular member outward, a longitudinally shiftablesection having telescopic engagement with the central shaft sectionbearing against the annular member when shifted inward but releasing theannular member when pulled outward and having an inward projectionengaging the spiral groove of said shaft section to cause a rotation ofthe shaft section when said longitudinally shiftable section is pulledoutward, and means engaging the central shaft section and said shiftablesection and locking the two against relative longitudinal movement whenthe shiftable section is telescoped upon the shaft section.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature.

FLAVERS BURRIS.

